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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — a cup
  12. stem — to come from
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mug — a face
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. game — a match
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com